


Behind the Scenes

by HawkTooth



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Art, Emotional, F/M, Family, Hurt/Comfort, One Shot, Romance, Songfic, abilities, multifandom - Freeform, unrelated stories
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:42:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 14,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21814600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HawkTooth/pseuds/HawkTooth
Summary: There are writers. There are artists. Some of us are both, and worlds spill from both word and image. Many scenes from the stories I've written have been illustrated, and posted with the chapters they belong to. But there are other pieces whose inspirations have arisen from elsewhere: momentary ideas, songs, poems, life events. These, are the tales behind those pieces, the stories leading up to or surrounding them; they may be from within the Closed Doors or Two Worlds Collide series, or individual tales of their own tied to the films or characters I love that inspired those series. Unbound, unconnected, one-shots that might be humorous, serious, lighthearted or deep, all tied to the art that belongs to no chapter or tale.
Relationships: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Astrid Hofferson, Judy Hopps/Nick Wilde
Comments: 14
Kudos: 18





	1. Angel With a Shotgun

__

_“I'm an angel with a shotgun_

_Fighting till the war's won_

_I don't care if heaven won't take me back!_

_I'll throw away my faith, babe_

_Just to keep you safe_

_Don't you know you're everything I have!_

_And I, want to live, not just survive, tonight!"_

_-The Cab: Angel With a Shotgun_

The world was never kind. That much he’d known practically since the day he’d been born.

People though, individuals, they could be kind. Souls that strived only to do what was right, only what was good, no matter how violently the world pushed them to do terrible things. That was what kept him going, what kept his wings wide. So long as those who had a light of their own could keep striving forward, then so could he.

And then she came along.

A heart she had like none he’d ever seen before, a drive to do right that seemed to eclipse the evils of the Adversary himself. Wave after wave of hardship had struck at her too, violence against her in her youth, dismissal in her teens, vindictive job positioning and college hazing as she got older, yet somehow through it all every slap in the face only seemed to make here more determined to get where she was going.

And where was she going? He watched closely, intrigued, and amazed at the soul that strove to reach a job, a position of influence and justice, that her kind had never held before. Just as always though, once she seemed to get where she had been trying to go all along, another set of walls slammed down in her way. “Get through that,” the world mocked, “and let us laugh at your scrambles going nowhere.”

And what could he do? There were rules meant to be followed, ways they were never supposed to interfere. The worlds, dimensions, they were meant to stay separate, one guarding the next, to keep balance and build the foundations for ultimate intent to play out. But loopholes there were too; mistakes, if made, would have prices should he jump through those hoops, but at this point he was nearly willing to pay them just to be able to make things run a little smoother from that point forward. The earth’s society had troubled him long enough, and now his heart ached at watching hers struggle.

So he wrote into the story. A life, a troubled background, associations with friends and dangerous individuals alike, a place where he could jump into that coursing river just in time to hit where his tale could intersect hers. From a distance there were some things that couldn’t be ascertained, couldn’t be helped, but now, here, he could test her more closely, see who she really was in whole and help her fix the holes she had too, for no individual stood in perfection.

But he never knew the impact jumping in so directly would have. She was truly a good soul, and even if it stung where her blemishes sat and he had to sting her back to help them be cleared up he was willing to run with it, and then so much more. They both drew closer, he began to feel for the world, for her, in ways he never thought possible. He helped her succeed where the world could only gape at her in shock and took up a position in the world himself where he would work to better things right alongside her. And, their lives began to intertwine even closer, ever closer, a rabbit from a country town and a fox from beyond her perception finding their other halves in each other, ready to take on anything.

And then the darkness propelling the world’s corruption bit back. Their lives crumbled, everything stripped away and she was left sobbing, crying into his side, with nothing left to hold her up but his arms. And still they came, wanting more, wanting to bring her down and bury her, and him with her if they could.

Well, they _thought_ that they could. He had begun to believe the world could be changed, that evil could be drained away without all of prophecy coming to pass letter by letter. Obviously, he’d been wrong. And now, twined with this soul as he was and of the world she came from too, he would pay the next price to stay with her, and fight back, fight with everything he could draw on.

As he held her, he brought his weapons to bear. They saw them like mere guns, but no, these would sting so much worse, for they would not bite just flesh but the souls themselves. His wings unfurled to protect her as he readied for battle and cloaked both of them in silvery gold feathers, one paw grasping a smoking weapon at his side as the other grasped her, and stood to stare the others down. After all was done, he would not be allowed to return back to where he came, but that was fine. He could carry himself and his other half, he could stand as a stranger in the world he now lived in, until the earth’s time itself came.

And until it did, every fool who crossed her path, _their_ path, would burn for their dark actions. Angel was just another word for messenger, and now they both would have a message the world would never forget.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the first of many song-inspired pieces I've made and will continue to make; far from perfect, inspired not only by the song of the same name as the title here but also another Zootopia fanfiction, a work called Hereafter by ScaraMedn. This doesn't run quite in line with that tale, but in a universe with a handful of similarities.  
> We'll see when I get the time to write up the next one, but until then, HawkTooth out!


	2. Empires

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note for the readers: this is another solely Zootopia-centered chapter....

__

_A storm is coming_

_Desire burns_

_A war is calling_

_The tides are turned..._

_Empires rise!_

_Empires fall!_

_We live or die_

_To take the throne!_

_Only one will stand at the end of it all...._

_-"Empires" by Ruelle_

* * *

He’d made sure to tell his sister where he’d be, just in case. Formidable as he was alone, there was no sense in not having backup at a call, and should trouble arise, she’d know where to go to locate him, or where to send someone if she couldn’t come up herself. The trek was a long one if one went by foot from his home though, so it’d only be in true emergencies he’d be bothered. Several minutes even just from the nearest road. That was why he liked it there though: out of the way, low traffic from others, and plenty of silence well above the city in order to sit, think, and wait also for answers that came from sources outside of his mortal home.

Tonight though, was a little different, not just a time to sit and think, but a time to watch a natural show and take in whatever it might provide.

Summer storms were not uncommon in the area. The ocean, after all, swept cold currents down from the north along the coast, and with it cold, humid air that met the rising, baking waves that rolled off the land from the desert interior behind the mountains and off the slopes themselves. Where one met the other, violence ensued. Embron often took time to come up to the bluffs at the edge of the Alpine District just to watch them too, invigorated by the power of nature. Scarlet often joined him, loving to turn the shows of lightning and rain into pictures and videos she would later share with friends. The only reason she wasn’t up here now was due to a shoot for a commercial she’d been cast in, but he might take a shot or two for her so she could play with the scene anyway.

This though, something was different about this instance, this particular storm. As the black clouds rolled in toward the setting sun, the air charged and set his own fur to sparking and flashing. _That_ was another reason he liked the bluffs; with no one around, he could let himself be tuned to the environment, and react to it without anyone screaming about magic or sorcery or what have you. As a particularly powerful bolt raced ahead of the front and lanced down the towers of the city below him, Embron felt the streamers on his skin spike and radiate off his ears and tail and knew there was a message waiting in the wings. Among his kind premonitions and visions were not unheard of, and they had almost never steered him wrong on the rare occasions he received them. This was not a notice of good omens either, and his gaze swept downward toward Zootopia itself.

What an exquisite place; not without its own problems of course, but one of the few cities that really stood as a testament to the unity his faith held as the true goal for their world. The city was his home, no question. But it was still merely that: a city. One that represented all he stood for, perhaps, but it was physical, not an idea or belief. Physical things were transient, and just as a thousand cities, a thousand empires had before it, this one had risen up, and one day it would fall. He would fight to protect it until its time, and perhaps its time would come long after his own, but all the more important were those that inhabited it. Creatures of a thousand different kinds, a thousand different sizes and shapes, and among them a special few destined to rewrite society.

Those were the ones he felt the storm speak to him about.

Perhaps it would be that new duo that had shown up in recent months; those two, he’d had fun bothering Mack for information about. A rabbit from the farms gunning for something more (and oh, how she’d managed already), a fox that the rabbit had pulled from the city’s own underbelly to work right beside her, and that fox that as it turned out had a distant relationship to Embron himself, no less. There was something unique about those two; Catalysts, perhaps. No other mammals should have had such ridiculously fortuitous luck to pull so many clues out into the open during that _Midnicampum_ scandal after all. And if their admittedly still short partnership was anything to go by, more than mere police partners they’d end up becoming.

The storm rumbled again, and another bolt spidered into the skyscrapers of the city, setting Embron’s fur alight again, and moments later a trio of bolts slammed into the sea beyond. Conflict, that’s what it said. A struggle that would start in the city. Not necessarily one that many would notice, but one of powerful importance nonetheless. One that would need containing to make sure things did not spiral into hysteria.

Something was on its way, something the world had not been witness to in hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. Never did he get details about what was to come when these feelings arose, but he knew it was time to prepare for a fight. Embron took out his phone and snapped a few good photos of the storm, and then peered across the city once more, staring through its heart in empty hopes that he might see answers there. There never were, but still; he’d keep his eyes and ears open. Maybe the notice would come from Jack, or perhaps he and Scarlet would just run across it on their own...or it would run across them. Either way, life was preparing to change standards again, and if there was one thing the coyote knew, when the status quo changed all sides were thrown in the ring.

And only one would be able to win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A prelude to my Zootopian fanfic, Closed Doors, featuring my "zoosona" Embron Caniston. Also a nod: the mentioned "Mack" is a character borrowed with permission from 6wingdragon's Neverwere Moments series. Both tales I encourage checking out.
> 
> Until next time, HawkTooth out!


	3. Electromaniacs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This tidbit stems from the Two Worlds Collide universe. Best if you read (or at least skim) Book 7 of that or you might be a tad confused :)

Was it really that bad?

Okay, okay, so there was that young guy Robin who was now in the hospital, and his partner Jesmine had been having a hard time breathing when he ducked out, but they brought that on themselves. Everyone was going to split the proceeds equally after the sale went through, but then those two had decided they’d earned a couple percent more each than he did.

Why? Because Robin had been the distillery source and Jesmine had done the running? Jameson was the one who surfed online and found the buyers, and he was the one who met them face to face first to make sure they checked out. That should have made them all on even footing for risk and reward. They wanted to steal from him? Well, he had no choice but to fight for his right, and when they got hurt, that just happened to be the end result. And if they were hurt, the funds weren’t going to be going anywhere with them, so he had to make it worthwhile instead.

But someone (Robin, he guessed, considering he’d been the one left closest to authorities) had squealed, and now the cops were out after him. If they’d connected his latest alias to the previous few…never mind that. All Jameson had to do was disappear. He had the cash, he had the skills, and vanishing in the Deep South was easier than in most places. The boat he’d stashed away was only a couple miles further on too, and his other partner waited with it. Just keep moving, stick to the shadows…

Red and blue flashed to his right, along the road, and the sound of squealing tires across gravel made him freeze. He hadn’t been in direct view of the road at any point when people were passing by, surely they hadn’t actually pinpointed him?

But this could have been setting up a perimeter; Jameson should have remembered that possibility. Still, the river was nearby, and he wasn’t above taking a swim to stay under the radar. The cash would survive after all, and his gun was designed to work wet.

Then another car skidded to a halt, and another, and then another. Footsteps could be heard jumping out, flanking the curb, and they were entering the trees.

The river it was. Jameson turned and bolted, glad he was still in the dark enough to keep from being spotted, but shouts went up as they heard the leaves and sticks crunch under his feet and officers started following the sound, flashlight beams swinging his way. Jameson scowled, but it was too late for them anyway. He reached the riverbank, grabbing one of the reeds growing along the side and breaking it (they were hollow after all, and would make a good snorkel), and slid in, disappearing in the murk. The swim down the river bend would be a lot more tiring than the walk would have been, but it was what it was. The lights weren’t following him now, and that was all that he needed.

* * *

It was only after Jameson was pulling himself up onto the back of the boat that the thought of alligators crossed his mind. He shivered, glad now that he hadn’t run into any, and then froze when he looked up into the barrel of another gun.

The figure at the other end glared down at the intruder, finger on the trigger, until their eyes met. Then both pairs widened, and the weapon was lowered.

“Damn, Jamie, ya swam here?”

“No, took a bright orange float tube so that I’d stick out like a sore thumb,” Jameson spat as he flipped water-soaked hair out of his eyes and then smacked the gun barrel away. “Yes I fucking swam, Rich! Now, get the engine cranked and let’s move! Won’t be long before the cops figure out to get patrols on the river, and we want to be in the delta before then!”

Rich shook the surprise off and nodded, turning and speed-walking to the cabin, and Jameson spat another round of water off and started wringing the wet from his hair and clothes. “Can’t get anyone to fucking think straight anymore,” he muttered, pulling out the bag in his back pocket and checking. Not that it would have hurt it much, but the cash was in fact still mostly dry. A distant rumble of thunder though suggested he might not be able to get dry any time soon.

A whoop of a siren, and a sudden blaring spotlight on his back, made Jameson freeze even as the motor on the boat started up. He spun around, spotting a line of vehicles with their lights flashing on at the top of the tiny road leading down to the launch, officers taking positons behind trees and aiming for him.

“Jameson Prior and Richard Selmar, turn off your engines and put your hands out where we can see them!” a megaphone blared.

Jameson slid his eyes sideways to glance at Rich, and they shared a look. Too far now, no way they were stopping. Not for a bunch of cops on the dryland, and not when they could disappear in five minutes, tops. He paused for a second, then dropped behind the siding and pulled his gun out, aiming over the side and firing. Richard did the same around the side of the cabin.

Five shots answered back, before the megaphone called out again, “Do not fire again!! This is your last warning, lay down your weapons and surrender or you will lose all chances at a deal!”

Jameson fired another round to make his decision clear.

The megaphone answered back, “Call them in!”

_Wait, what?_

The distant thunder suddenly wasn’t so distant, and lightning lit up the sky. A bolt snaked low and raced above the level of the trees, and then suddenly turned downward to slam into the boat not ten feet from where Jameson was crouched. The noise of the thunderclap to follow jarred him to the bone and made him drop the gun to clap his hands over his ears (Rich following suit) and the boat shuddered, engine going dead and stopping them in their tracks.

When he looked up, they weren’t alone aboard anymore. The crackling electric glow wasn’t gone, but instead racing across the limbs and outfits of three Riders, the dragon morpher, the rabbit, and the fox. The latter two were grinning, but it wasn’t the kind of grin anyone wanted aimed at them; the former just looked ticked, and his spread pair of wings dwarfing them all didn’t help the expression.

In the background, Jameson just barely heard over the ringing in his ears one of the closer cops ask, “So…what exactly did he do?”

“Does it matter at this point?” another answered. “Something bad enough to piss the three of them off, so it was gonna end up being a bad day for him one way or the other.”

“Step away from the weapon, and put your hands up,” the fox ordered. “Or, you get tazed by a lightning bolt. What’ll ya go for?”

He never thought he’d attract the attention of this group with his business, so Jameson had never thought of a plan for what to do if he encountered any of the Riders. Unfortunately, the result of this planning gap was panic, and he reached for the gun sitting on the deck nearby. There was a crackling noise, the world went white, and that was the last thing he saw for a while.

* * *

Nick sighed and tutted, looking at the now unconscious and twitching man on the boat in front of them. “Shoulda gone with option B,” he mused. “Course a little static jolt is hardly what he deserved after that rap sheet the feds gave us.” Turning his head, he and his companions focused on Richard, cowering in the cabin. “What about you? Option A or B?”

Richard was wise enough to raise his hands to the sky, allowing Hawken to drop his wings and the lightshow and step forward to cuff him. “You two are lucky we got to Robin and Jesmine when we did,” he growled, “or everyone in your ring would be facing murder charges on top of everything else. Mostly Jameson, but you would have been tried as an accomplice. Still, the sentence at hand won’t be pretty.” He turned, dragging Richard out of the cabin, and kicked the deck of the boat. The craft lurched backward, sending them surging back toward the short dock, and the awaiting authorities. “Everybody’s secured! All yours now!”

“Did you have to electrocute the other guy?” the nearest officer asked, looking down at Jameson as she reached over to take the proffered cuff connection held by Hawken and drag Richard onto the dock.

The three Riders smirked. “Eh, we might be a little electromaniacal,” Judy drawled, crossing her arms, “but we know what we’re doing. He’ll wake up with a major headache shortly after you drop him in a patrol car I reckon.”

“No real injuries, we promise,” Hawken agreed. “Now, these guys got started in this ring by another party, and Zipeau’s still tracking the digital trail for them back home. We’ve got to head back to jump on top of that again, but if you need a testimony, you know who to call.” With a smile and a salute from all three, he stepped back and wings snapped out again as he morphed, the two mammals at his side grabbing hold of him, and with a flash and another clap of thunder they were gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really, really hate drawing people. Especially my own character. The face never turns out right on me, and proportions are always...eh.   
> But, Nick turns out like he always does pretty well, and the lightning effect seems to be coming along better with each new attempt. Anyway, again, if you haven't read the Two Worlds Collide series, this tidbit might seem quite odd and confusing, but if you like characters like Nick, Judy, Hiccup, Toothless, etc. interacting together then give it a go. Plus, they'll all be showing up soon enough in some even more outlandish scenarios in the next series to spin off TWC in the coming months, so stay tuned...  
> Until next time, HawkTooth out!


	4. God Only Knows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This could be a standalone one-shot, or may have happened (probably did) early before the start of my Closed Doors Zootopia series.

_Wide awake while the world is sound asleepin'_

_Too afraid of what might show up while you're dreamin'_

_Nobody, nobody, nobody sees you_

_Nobody, nobody would believe you_

_Every day you try to pick up all the pieces_

_All the memories they somehow never leave_

_Nobody, nobody, nobody sees you_

_Nobody, nobody would believe you_

_God only knows what you've been through_

_God only knows what they say about you_

_God only knows how it's killing you_

_But there's a kind of love that God only knows_

_For the lonely, for the ashamed,_

_For the misunderstood and the ones to blame!_

_What if we could start over, we could start over?_

**-For King and Country: God Only Knows**

_“Nobody cares about you_.”

It was winding up to be one of those nights again.

_“You’re even dumber than you look!”_

He’d thought he’d left it behind, when everything turned on its head, but as it was looking to be, some things did not simply fade away. Some things, a new outlook, a new job, new friends…some scars, those changes could not so easily heal over.

_“You’re worth no more than trash!”_

That first night, outside the pack meeting, Nick had gotten his first taste of just how cruel the world could be. Over the next twenty years, event after encounter would pummel that taste in until the sweet and wonderful in life was permanently tainted in the background. In his teens, school was no better. Mammals both predator and prey would taunt and abuse him, the teachers and authorities often looking the other way, and when help did come it was always too little, too late to save either his skin from being cut and bruised or his dignity and hope from being shredded.

Why? Because he was a fox.

_“You’re no good to society!”_

He ran off shortly after graduation, left his mother behind with barely a look back, thinking that at least if he wasn’t around then Vivian might be able to support herself and stay out of the line of fire from society’s ugliest that Nick felt like he dragged everywhere with him. Distrust and cynicism had him stockpiling what little funds he gathered away in hidden alcoves only he could access, and when he began ramping up his hustles when he met Finnick a short while later the money went only into secretive investments that officials never bothered tracking down and that Nick could defend with a few words or bit of incriminating evidence.

The criminal underworld, that was the line he swore to himself he’d never truly cross into, but keeping an ear to the ground had proved a benefit to him at least. Tiptoeing along that line though, was still more than enough for the slightly less gullible to brand him as everything they wanted him to be.

_“Wipe the floor with him; he’s just a clean-up rag anyway.”_

And as much as he tried to stay aloof, tell himself that the world was only going to see what they wanted to see and he kept up the act to give them just that, Nick felt every single one of those slights, every cutting word and the mess of every drink spilled on him or garbage bag thrown at him. Almost every night he’d lie in the tiny bed in the ramshackle basement room he’d been able to worm into, staring up at the one small cellar window that let in the city lights, and drown in that pain within.

_“Useless. Couldn’t pull himself out of that gutter of treachery even if he wanted to_.”

So it was. Day, after day, after week, after month, after year. If he got to sleep without the jabs of the day plaguing him, then they’d pile up in dreams. Any mistake he made, any attempt at actually being decent that was thrown back in his face, would bite him all the same as well.

Then Judy showed up, and at first he’d thought everything might actually have a chance. The case they were on wrapped up (so it seemed), she seemed to like him well enough…and then the press conference. Everything piled on even higher, as the divide turned no longer just between the small, “shifty” predators and everyone else, but violently between prey and predator. The words were thrown like rocks, like grenades, with no concern for the damage that they might actually inflict upon landing, and he heard plenty enough to return to that same place he’d been.

_“They’re dangerous! Savage! Contain them in quarantine! Exile them from the city! From the country! Make them leave!”_

_No one could actually care for, and see the real mammal under the stereotype…why try?_

But Judy…

The rabbit was the one thing that defied more than two decades of what had been ingrained into him. She came back. She apologized. She stepped in front of the gun for him, she stood by him through everything, every doubt, every accusation, every slander that came after as the city knit itself back together, and then she was there, pushing him to go further, take hold of that dream he’d had when he’d been a kit, and take a place right beside her in the world. To make the world a more decent place to live. To try and scrub out the grime that made mammals shun those like him, just because they’d never cared to actually learn what those like him really wanted to be seen as.

But tonight…tonight felt like he’d gone right back to the start again.

The case should have been simple. Was, actually. Robbery in progress, catch the bad guy, put him behind bars, take a couple statements and help the store owners clean up. Nick had stayed behind a little longer than Judy (she agreed to start on the paperwork), and one of the owners who had only showed up that evening had laid into him despite everything.

_“Nice costume; can’t believe they’re dumb enough to actually hire your type. I’ve had enough trouble today to worry about getting robbed again, so scram! Send someone I can actually trust not to pull the register out to help clean up if the police want to actually do something good! Or better, tell them to bug off! Hire a fox, can’t trust any of them! Probably set up the robbery for you to take advantage of!”_

It was just another speciest bigot who spoke before they actually used the cells in their brain to compose logic, and one of the other officers (he couldn’t remember the name, hadn’t been on the force quite long enough to pick them all up properly) had shown up near the end to curtail it and dismiss Nick to head home while they told off the owner, but it had still hurt. And now, Nick found himself scrolling over it, and over every other thing that his mind could bring up that had been slung at him over the years as he sat in his wrinkled uniform on the couch in his and Judy’s apartment. He should have known; turns out, even putting on the badge and upholding the law instead of straddling it can’t get the world to look at you right. So, he started to wonder, was it worth it even now, trying?

Something wet splashed to the floor, and it took a moment for Nick to realize it had been his tears falling. They weren’t stopping either. For once, Nick didn’t feel like putting on a mask to hide it, so he hung his head and let the despair wash over.

The front door opened.

“Sorry I’m a little late, Nick, had to check over the report again; also stopped by to talk with Krumpanski, he told me what hap…Nick?”

Padded footsteps stopped at the entry to the living room, and Nick knew Judy was seeing him, quite possibly for the first time, with mask down and the hurt showing fully. Somehow, he still couldn’t find it in himself to sit up straight and even look at her though.

“Things never change,” the tod whispered, then sniffled. “Why did I think this would actually do anything?”

There was an intake of breath, and then suddenly Judy was right next to him, hand on his shoulder. “Nick, listen to me,” she said. “I know, I can’t possibly know what it’s like to have been in your footprints here, but when something terrible happens I’m also able to remember that there are always still silver linings around. But before that happens, sometimes I have to let it all out too. And to do that, I usually need someone around to confide in. So will you look at me?”

He didn’t, feeling his lips curl in a slight snarl of irritation instead. Before he could make some depressed quip though, Judy repeated herself, far more firmly (though nothing in her tone said angrily).

“LOOK at me.”

Nick looked up. Judy’s eyes met his, amethyst catching emerald and something strained in him.

“I’m here, and I’ll listen. Let it out.”

Something broke, and he did.

Nick sagged forward as Judy’s arms wrapped around his shoulders, and he unconsciously reached up to hold her tightly in turn, and for the first time in he didn’t know how long, he truly cried. Anger, despair, abject sadness and rejection, loneliness…every emotion that had built up through those years of being cast aside like nothing he let out in sobs, clutching the one mammal who so far had proven she could take it, and still stand, the one mammal who as she’d just stated was willing to listen to him, and to just be there.

Right then, that was all that mattered.

“I’m right here, Nick. They might not care, they might not listen, they might not trust you. But that doesn’t matter.”

Amidst the flood of emotional agony, something else sparked.

“Because I care. I know you, I care about you. I trust you. God only knows I’ll be there when things like this happen, and you can lean on me, okay?”

_And one way or another, I’ll always love you as well._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's not a lot about what officially happens in Nick's story after the Pack 914 incident, but to have become such a cynical, pessimistic person there probably had to be a lot of other things going on to cement that personality. When I heard the song this piece was based on though, I immediately thought of Nick, and thought of what kind of impact, what kind of healing process too, might have come about shortly after he really started life on the force.


	5. Running with the Giants

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Excerpt from somewhere within the Two Worlds Collide universe (not the series itself, but events that might follow). This might also work as following the events in the earlier chapter Electromaniacs.

_I'm making real big moves_

_In a real big way_

_Gonna burn this whole place down_

_Light it up in flames_

_I got big shoes to fill_

_I shoot to kill_

_Do you feel the power_

_Shaking under me!_

_I run with the giants!_

_There's no slowing me down_

_I run with the giants!_

_There's no stopping me now!_

_~Sam Tinnesz: Running With the Giants_

“You did WHAT?!”

Nick winced. As long as it had been, he should have known better. Did know better. But nobody’s perfect, and it wasn’t like he was the only one who forgot that little detail every now and then.

“Yeah, I know, I know, I should have remembered to turn my barrier on,” he admitted, holding up his paws in relent. “Should have probably had it on before I ever went into the situation, but sometimes things just”-

“No, no, that’s not what I’m talking about,” Hawken interrupted, holding up a hand of his own. The young man might have been built like a bean pole, but when he loomed over Nick with his eyes tinging red and pointed a finger down at the fox he might as well have been a Bewilderbeast chastising a Terrible Terror, and Nick felt every ounce of the disappointment in the action.

What made it worse though, was that disappointment was masking a whole lot more worry, and worry bred guilt like nothing else for the tod.

“I’m talking about the fact that you confronted the guy without anyone to back you up,” Hawken continued, kneeling down so he was level with Nick. His eyes softened, losing the red tinge and instead flushing a deep blue. “After working several years with Judy and then on top of that joining up with us, you should know you’re at your best game when working with a partner at least, if not a team. We were all just a com call away, you could have waited 30 seconds and Judy and I could have been right there, two minutes and everyone else too.” He reached over and put a hand on Nick’s shoulder, gripping it tight. “Let’s try and remember everyone else too, okay?” he asked. “No need to be macho with Lone Ranger heroics. Besides, had you been wearing anything else or Don Juan Triggerhappy had somehow hit you in the face, you know Judy would have found a way to bring you back to life just so she could kill you herself for being so stupid.”

Okay, so that made for a much more painful wince. Nick grit his teeth and nodded, rubbing his left paw over the spot on his waist where his suit had stopped the pistol slug. “Yeah, yeah, you’re right,” he agreed, reaching over and patting Hawken’s hand. “I swear, I’ll try to keep my reputation as a wise guy more literal in the future.” Then he grinned and gave a sheepish shrug. “But, uh, I did manage to tag his shoe with one of Zipeau’s trackers as he ran by after he thought he’d killed me, so we’ve got a direct lead to their base of operations now.”

Hawken blinked, a little surprised, before he reached up and keyed the communications set that materialized on his head. “’Ey, Zipeau! Nick tells me he set a tracking pin on the guy we were tailing, you got a signal to confirm?”

“Yep!” a cheerful voice replied through the earpiece, Nick able to catch the conversation with no problem. “It’s stopped too, looks like a refurbished warehouse no one ‘supposedly’ built back up to functioning, on the edge of Fort Pierce; I’ll shoot the coordinates your way. Nick okay?”

Nick grinned and keyed his own mic. “Yeah, I’m fine bookworm. Hopefully a little smarter now too.”

“Good; I fear what Judy would have done if you had actually been hurt. We want these ones alive after all.”

That got them all chuckling. “Alright Zip, I’ll get the rest of the gang that’s down here to set up perimeter,” Hawken said, pulling out his phone to check the info Zipeau had sent. “Trigger-happy as some of them apparently are though, I’m not gonna take any more chances; I’m going in myself.”

“Copy. Though, uh, do try not to demolish the building; we could get someone to repurpose it for a benefit somewhere after all. It’s in fairly good condition.”

“Yeah, I’ll try. Talk in a few.”

As Hawken ended the conversation and his headset vanished again while he typed out directions for everyone else, Nick twiddled his claws together for a moment before asking, “Can I go in with you?”

The young man stopped cold, closing his eyes in a sigh before turning back to look down at the tod. “Nick, I think one close call was”-

“Not to actually do anything, necessarily,” Nick cut in, folding his paws together in a pleading fashion, “unless you need me to, but, like, ride along at least; they’ll drop their guns the moment you barge in. I just want to see the guy’s face when he sees me alive and well, and negotiate a nice ceasefire. Please?”

Hawken crossed his arms, tapping his foot, but Nick could see him losing the fight. So he added in one more push. “Come on, you know you love a dramatic entrance just as much as I do.”

Hawken sighed and shook his head, a small smile appearing. “Alright, fine,” he relented. “Come on, before someone with some decent sense tells them to check for bugs and to move house.”

* * *

“You did WHAT?!”

Carson winced. His boss clearly wasn’t happy, and even more clearly didn’t agree with his assessment. “It dropped and didn’t move,” he said, trying to explain, “and nothing that small would actually survive a body shot from a magnum anyway. Whatever let the thing talk isn’t gonna hear back from it.”

“Whatever let the…oh my god, I hired a fucking moron!” the boss groaned, throwing up his hands in disbelief.

Carson flinched at the action. When he was mad, Barry Latan certainly wasn’t someone to cross, and Carson had clearly failed to grasp something Barry obviously thought should be common knowledge.

Barry turned back to him, ears steaming. “Just how fucking isolated was your little town out there anyway?” he snapped. “Ya missed the whole ‘end of the world’ events that happened like 4 years ago? The freaks that stopped it?”

“No, of course not!” Carson said defensively. However, thinking more on the subject, he suddenly got a cold feeling. “W-what about them?”

“Year and a half ago they got a couple new recruits from that other world,” Barry sniveled at him, waving a hand before turning toward the small desk along the wall. “A pair of talking mammals, a pair that looks and acts like they came out of that dumb furry movie Disney made years ago. A bunny, and a fox, and they’ve got the same special suits, the same freaky superpowers, the same dragon pals, and they’re trained like law enforcement. Put one and one together, will you?” He opened the top drawer and pulled out a radio turning back to look with some late satisfaction at the newly developed expression of dread Carson now wore as he pressed the speak button. “Oh good, you figured it out. Hey Nate?”

“Yeah?” a voice crackled back.

“Get the goods loaded on the trucks, we’re hitting the road in five. Gotta take care of loose ends in here.”

“Copy!”

“L-loose ends?” Carson squeaked.

Barry rolled his eyes and tucked the radio into his waistband. “Yeah, evidence.” He waved dismissively at his “employee” and started stacking papers and stuffing them into a case sitting on the file cabinet next to the desk. “Call yourself lucky, despite this monumental mistake I still see some use for you, and it certainly wouldn’t do any good to leave a body in here for the cops to find; I don’t need to blatantly paint ‘murderer’ on my rap sheet right now, not so close to payoff. But don’t expect so many benefits as you were originally promised, if any.” He looked up, and tossed his head toward the nearest door in the big room. “Now, make yourself useful and start”-

“Boss, we got a problem,” the radio crackled again.

Barry froze for a half second before ripping it back out and asking, “What? What problem?”

“The trucks are…uh, occupied. And maybe nonfunctional.”

Barry’s face suddenly went white. “Shit,” he spat, dropping the radio and reaching in a drawer to pull out a lockbox. He spun the dial to input the code and then when it popped open pulled out a wad of cash which he stuffed into his pocket, before waving frantically past Carson. “Move!” he hissed. “They’re not making it out, we’ve gotta sneak through the side”-

An echoing static-like crackle sounded through the building, and all the lights suddenly went out, throwing them in darkness. It didn’t last long though, as the ceiling on the far side of the room gave an almighty creak and caved in to let the sunlight and…something else, inside.

Barry panicked first, bolting for the closest door away from the sudden intrusion, but a jet of fire blocked his way and at the same time cast the warehouse in a dusty, flickering orange glow. He stumbled back again into Carson, the two of them freezing and looking toward whatever had come inside.

“Guess it’s a good thing the tracker slipped off in the warehouse next door; this is more fun!”

“Agreed. You want to do the honors?”

“Ab-so-lutely.”

It looked like someone had taken a fox and a lizard and crossed them together, and then blown it up to a hundred times normal size. Of course, neither of those animals could breathe fire, or speak (at least normally in this world), and the slit green eyes watched the two men in front of it with an amused, mischievous, and sapient glint. To keep them from running another direction, it swung its tail to cup around behind them, forcing them to freeze, waiting for its next move.

That was when Carson spotted the second figure, lying casually on top of the larger creature’s head between its long ears, and he truly understood the magnitude of his mistake.

“Afternoon gentlemen!” the fox called down in a sing-song tone. “Sorry to drop in and crash your little meet-n'-greet here, but afraid you didn't give us much choice in the matter. See, turns out running mobs and cartels is kind of frowned upon and illegal in most places, whoopsie!” He lifted up a hand and lifted a finger, then another, counting. “You also kind of took a shot at me yesterday, double whoopsie, which I didn't appreciate at all. And whoopsie number threesie, taking a shot at me? That's as good as taking a shot at my friend here.”

The fox smirked wickedly, and patted the big head underneath him. “Recognize him?” he asked cheekily. “Maybe not, but you've probably seen some of his other forms in the news: Night Fury, Doomfang, Skrill, lots of dragons to choose from, and Pirlopex isn't any easier to fight. So you've got two choices: A, be a couple of good boys and stand down, tell your little mafia to put their hands up and surrender, or B, we drop you, drag you out to the cops, and burn the drug shop to the ground. And better choose quickly, 'cause time's a wastin' and not all our friends are as patient as he and I am."

As if to prove a point, there was a shout somewhere outside, followed by a high-pitched shrieking whistle and a small explosion.

“Sounds like Toothless is already losing patience even,” the bigger creature –well, dragon, they knew who and what he was at this point- toned lightly, bearing numerous teeth and leaning closer. “Radio’s at your foot, tell them to drop whatever weapons you have, and then raise your hands nice and high.”

Barry could only let out a shaky nod, trembling as he knelt down to fumble around for the dropped radio (he didn’t dare move his eyes from the dragon’s). When he found it, it took another several seconds for his fingers to find the button, and he stuttered into it, “E-everyone drop your guns, a-and g-get on your knees!” Then he dropped the radio again, and put his hands up. Carson, wisely, did the same next to him.

Hawken grinned again, and tilted his head down for Nick to slide off it to the ground. “Wise choice,” Nick drawled, reaching down and pulling two sets of cuffs off his belt. “Now this will all go so much easier for everyone. Well,” he smirked, and went to Carson first, cinching the cuffs just a touch too tight for a moment around one wrist and making him yelp, “easier for most of us. But you get my drift.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nick and Judy fell in with some very, very powerful friends, and they're no sweeter on bad guys in that world than our dynamic duo are in the Zootopian universe.   
> Also, for those who might wonder: Pirlopex is Greek for "fire fox." They're usually not this big, but, well, that individual isn't just a normal dragon either. For more info on the species, see here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20155405/chapters/49288340


	6. Material

_If all we are is material_

_Doesn't matter, doesn't matter_

_If all I see is the outside_

_Not the inside_

_It matters_

_'Cause you're my entire universe_

_And I want to be the sun and all your stars_

_I want to be where you are, what you are_

_Material!_

_-Material by Ward Thomas_

Was this reality, or just a dream?

Well, surely it could not be a dream, not with how real, how tangible it all felt. And this, was a life he could never dreamed of having, not even when he was still young and full of that naïve, innocent hope so prevalent in kits.

Partners, alongside the most driven, determined mammal he had ever seen, and in a job where making a difference actually felt like an achievable notion. Just a few years ago Nick certainly would never have imagined it, would have even laughed at the idea if someone had mentioned what the future would hold. Insane, he’d say they were. And yet…

That’s not to say though this friendship, this partnership, this…maybe something more?...didn’t have its own bumps in the road. There were times yet when the tod would ask Judy where they were headed, and she didn’t have the answer to give him that he needed. Not that he often helped though; he was silent just as often, if not more so sometimes. Such different worlds they’d come from, truly opposites did attract, but that made it so hard now and again to see eye to eye even when other times one could just glance at the other and they could read each other’s minds. Oh, and were those the moments that hurt the most, the ones where their glances missed and fell aside.

_Judy, you brought me this far, why can’t you say you’re ready to go just one step further?_

But he’d never let go, not completely, again. Not after everything they’d been through. It was worth too much to him. _She_ was worth too much. But when they hit a sticking point and there didn’t seem to be a way out of it, the stress would get to both of them, and it would always be obvious. In their work ethic, in the ways they tried to spend time together, in their dreams at night. More than once Nick had woken up with images of distant stars spinning around each other but never quite managing to get close enough to touch, to reconcile, even when that was all they wanted to do.

But maybe that was because of the few times he’d stayed silent when he knew everything rested on a few words.

_Did I ever tell you what you mean to me? That all of time and space are nothing compared to your smile?_

And it was true. Already he felt like an old fox, stuck in his ways, but he wanted ever so much to change, to change for her, to make her happy. But that effort did take two, and it wasn’t always him who stayed silent when words were needed either.

He’d not stop now though. He knew he needed to start speaking, maybe at least start the conversation and give her the opportunity she needed. He knew what it was like to be stuck in a hole, not sure how to begin, after all. But Nick couldn’t wait forever either; he’d made a promise to her too, to keep moving forward with the new life he’d made with her help even if she ever, heaven forbid, fell behind. She wanted his success more than she did her own, and he owed her that.

But, he’d rather have that success with her by his side. So here went nothing; in the morning, he’d ask. For now though, nighttime stars and symbols would fill his mind for a short time again. And in another form, she would fill his mind alongside them.

After all, she hadn’t just changed his world; now, she _was_ his world, and so much more.

_A nebulous darkness once I was lost in, but now, just so long as you are around I want to burn brighter than a supernova. And I cannot wait forever to hear you say yes, so when i reach out, will you take my hand? Will you be my everything, and let me be your light? Will you let us shine together like nothing ever has before? Then and only then will we truly be, and be all that is possible._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one doesn't necessarily belong to any story universe; who knows, maybe it's something that comes after Zootopia itself.   
> A little fun fact though: a fan-made music video for Zootopia was what introduced me to the musical duo who also recorded the song this bit is based off of. You can be sure that song too will become a piece to be featured in here eventually.


	7. This is What You Came For

_Maybe, this is what you came for_

_Lightning, strikes everytime she moves_

_And everybody's watching her,_

_But she's looking at you!"_

_-Calvin Harris, This is What You Came For_

“Everything ready?”

“A-almost. Hold on, missing the strap…there it is. Alright, let’s go!”

It had been weeks since they'd had a night on the town. Job stresses, family life, time for other friends and acquaintances…it all added up over time. But tonight…tonight was just about the two of them having fun, making the most of the evening and running about without a care for once.

Though, that did require at some point actually deciding on where to go, and with how short a notice this night off had come (a case had closed a week before they expected it all to wrap up, with additional problem mammals tied into it that had also close another 3 cases at the same time, so Bogo had told them they’d earned a day or two away from the station), as they walked out to the bus station the exact details of how they should spend the evening were still being hashed out.

Nick didn’t really care where they went though, so long as it was with his partner. He glanced over at her bouncing along next to him, each little leap making the sky-blue dress she had saved for a decent date flare and swirl around her, and lost track of his thoughts at the sight again. He was lucky Judy was a little more focused, and actually starting to come up with ideas.

“…that little mom-and-pop sandwich shop down at the end of Acacia, we haven’t been there in ages,” she was saying. “What do you think, good place to start?”

“Uh huh.”

“And then…oh, I don’t know, I kind of feel like dancing. I know we don’t really do that very much, too many mammals around, but just for this once I…” the rabbit trailed off, and looked over at her partner. Her first thought was on his appearance too, admittedly; Nick had also gotten spruced up more than usual for the night, demin jeans and a brick-red buttoned up shirt topped by a snazzy indigo-dye faux suede jacket.

But then she zeroed in on his unfocused grinning gaze, and slowed to put her hands on her hips. “You haven’t actually heard a thing I’ve said, have you?”

Nick realized then that he had just kind of zoned out on the image of Judy, and gave her a sheepish shrug. “Sorry; got distracted sightseeing.”

Judy scoffed and pushed him. “Is me in a dress that shocking?”

“Yep.”

“Ugh, males…come on, help me out here at least a little.”

Another shrug from the tod. “Really Carrots, I don’t mind where we go tonight. You lead the way.”

Judy shook her head and smirked, before grabbing Nick’s arm and dragging him along. “Angela’s Sandwiches and the Sandcat Swing Station it is then.”

* * *

Clubs typically weren't their thing, but it felt like a dancing night and even Nick eventually had to agree on that. After dinner they both had energy to spare and the night felt alive, plus they were dressed to impress so a showmammal like him couldn’t drop that opportunity. The dance club was right on the edge of Sahara and an establishment known for keeping it clean, plus a place where all sizes could squeeze in to a section right for them, so it was perfect. And, when they arrived, they were greeted with a handful of cheers and lively music just right for keeping those paw pads moving.

A drink or two, not enough to remove inhibitions but just enough to get a little jazzed, and then it was out onto the dance floor. While he hadn’t been much for actual dance steps when he’d first met her, Nick had been pulled into learning some classic styles since then. Now, he put them to use with her as they found their own rhythm. Spinning, twirling, taking up the front of the elevated stage area and practically marking it as their domain, and moving in tandem with every beat, they both found themselves grinning from ear to ear. And when one song ended, who cared if they were breathless? A second wind would come up eventually.

But at one point, Nick couldn't help but step back for a moment, rest against the bar counter in the smaller mammals section, and watch as his partner kept on. She'd probably always have more stamina than him, nature's design as it was, but that was okay; it meant he could take a second and watch the show rather than be part of it, and have an excuse that the bunny couldn’t pick apart in order to just drag him right back in. Her sky-blue dress floated effortlessly as Judy stayed light on her feet, and the new song picked up tempo, making her almost a blur across the dance stage as she kept pace with the rhythm. At times, it was hard to tell if she was actually touching the floor or dancing fast enough to fly. Nick felt transfixed, but it was hard not to be; she was talented, and it was obvious that just about everyone else in the room had paused just to watch her too. It was probably his imagination, but Nick would swear that almost every time her feet tapped the floorboards, sparks were flying out and setting the room aglow, making Judy shine and stand out ever more. Or, maybe it was real; it felt like there just might be streamers of energy flying between them and lighting the floor on fire. That would account for why all eyes were on her, large and small.

But Judy clearly didn't care about the attention tonight. She was having the time of her life, and every chance she got her violet eyes flashed back toward Nick, grinning and beckoning him back up onto the stage with her. As always after all, when all was said and done they only had eyes for each other. Soon enough, too, Nick couldn't resist, taking another deep breath and darting back up to catch the doe in a spin and dip, feeling more than seeing the energy in the air as he leaned in toward her, gave her a kiss, and then pulled her back up into another high-step.

It would be a night to remember, even if by the time it was over, they’d be too exhausted to even recall their trip back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No real tie to any particular story or time, this one could be from anywhere. And with this, I'm caught up to the artworks I've completed so far; hopefully the next one I put up will be in tandem with the first portion of the sequel to Closed Doors...


	8. "Zinktober" Day 2: Photo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To fit within the "Closed Doors" story set....

The donator’s showcase; most of the public didn’t know about the event, but that was because it was more for the precincts themselves anyway. An annual event held by Precinct One, it was supposed to be a reminder that the police force did not stand on the backs of the officers alone, or the funding they got from the city government. No, the police were kept upright also by all the help they got from the citizens themselves, be it monetary donations, volunteering for neighborhood watches or awareness campaigns, and a myriad other things that a mammal might donate their time or services for to help keep the city safe.

These various individuals were honored by a photo display put up across the back of the Precinct One atrium, their pictures hung up with a short description (where feasible) of what they did to help out the officers. Most were forthcoming in providing those images, broad smiles beaming out from the prints because each mammal either wanted recognition for the fact that they gave back or were just proud that they could help.

Judy, however, was finding one particular individual that they all wanted to honor was a fair bit less than cooperative.

"Come on, can you at least take one decent picture? It's for the showcase,” she blurted in exasperation, arms thrown out with the camera dangling from one paw still empty of anything useful.

The coyote she was glaring at turned slightly toward her, gave a cheeky grin, and stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth. “No,” he chirped, before going back to what he was doing: repotting another of his otherworldly plants.

Judy groaned, and looked out the doorway nearby to where her partner was coming back from getting Scarlet’s picture; funnily enough, though the ocelot was the goofier of the pair, she was a lot more cooperative with photography. Nick gave her a sympathetic look and shrugged; he’d tried too with Embron, and so far not gotten any further than she had. Judy’s shoulders slumped and she looked at the back of Embron’s black duster coat as he busied away.

“Why is this such a sticking point for you?” she questioned, trying to scoot around one side to maybe get at least a serious-looking profile shot. Her attempts were ruined as Embron comically dropped one ear and twisted his nose when she pressed the button again. “Ugh; look, it’s just for the officers to see anyway, maybe a handful of visitors if they pay attention the day after but talking about the good you’ve helped us do even if it’s not in full detail. And we want a decent photo to go with, not something fit for the clown studio.”

“I don’t really need anyone knowing what I’ve done,” Embron said, “since it is just another bit of fame, and I like keeping on the down-low. And keeping other mammals underestimating me is good too. If you want a photo, take one, but it ain’t gonna be a serious one any time soon.”

The rabbit growled, holding up the camera and begrudgingly taking the image of Embron sticking his tongue out in a blep that was provided, before pocketing the camera and slumping into a chair nearby. “I just want the other cops to appreciate you like we do,” she said. “Well, maybe not in full since they don’t know everything we’ve been through together, but at least like the extended family we consider all our helpers to be.”

The coyote chuckled and put the pot in his paws down before turning toward her, a smirk still in place but a warmer one than usual. “Hey now, every family has a few nutcases on their branches,” he pointed out, “might as well display at least one, right? Besides, you and Nick, Elliot and Christine, you’re the only ones that”-

FLASH!

The click and quick light of another camera cut the canine off and made him blink, before he turned toward the door behind Judy, where both Nick and Scarlet were just barely sticking their noses around the corner. The latter had a phone in her paw, and a mischievous grin as she high-fived the fox next to her.

Embron deflated. “My own sister against me,” he complained. “Traitor.”

“Isn’t that just a synonym for ‘sister’?” Scarlet cooed, waltzing into the room and looking down at Judy, holding the phone out for her to see. “It’s much nicer than what you would have gotten I’m sure, don’t you think?”

Judy looked at it, and nodded. “Yes, that’ll do nicely!” she said brightly, smiling wide and looking back to Embron. “Don’t worry, we’ll put your photo in a corner so you don’t stand out, picky.”

The coyote sighed, before grinning again. “Well, that’s if you still have the photo by that time,” he said, holding up his phone. “I’m sure Mack can help me out.”

Judy’s ears dropped, and she whipped her head back toward Scarlet. “Quick, send it to the printer!”

“Oh don’t worry,” Scarlet said, shooting her brother a barbed smile. “I printed it at your inkjet the moment I took it.”

Embron deflated again. “Damn. After so many years, hard evidence that I can be serious is out there again…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was debating whether or not I'd add little snippets to go along with these, and decided, why not, it'd be fun...I made a piece for every single day of the "Zinktober" challenge on ZNN, and quite a few turned out imaginative enough that I could put stories behind them. This is the first of several that will show up in here...and if you want to see all the rest including those that don't quite have a specific tale behind them, head to my profiles on DeviantArt or FurAffinity.


	9. "Zinktober" Day 3: Farm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To fit anywhere within Zootopia, the original or fanfics...

Neither of them really expected moments like these to happen, especially not somewhere usually so busy as her family farm, but when they did, it was perfect.

Peace. Pure and unadulterated…beautiful.

Paw in paw, they walked, down the rows of bushes already harvested for the season so that all they sported were green leaves. It was part of the reason right here was so undisturbed at the time; no one else on the farm needed to bother with this area, since harvests were still in full swing elsewhere. So they enjoyed the moment, while it lasted. Blue skies soared overhead, drifting puffs of cumulus dotting them, and the slightest breeze ruffled the leaves around them, their clothes…and made psithurisms in the copse of trees at the far end of the field by the stream that drained runoff and the lake nearby. It was a noise that sounded like contentment made into something tangible, and called out to both of them: come, join the symphony among the boughs.

Judy glanced to her left, to the fox that walked alongside her and left his own prints to mirror hers in the soft dirt behind them. He looked down, meeting her eyes, and smiled softly. No words needed, they spoke well enough through looks alone. Besides, any voice would only disturb the atmosphere, and they couldn’t have that yet. Both of them looked forward, toward the trees, and then back at each other, a question silently passing between them before being answered with dual smirks. If they wanted the moment to last they surely wouldn’t be able to just keep wandering the fields; someone would spot them from the hills surrounding this patch, and then the Kerfluffle would pour in after them. Nothing so thoroughly ended peace as the excited chatter of several dozen young rabbits.

So the tod and doe picked up their pace slightly, still glancing about and enjoying the open air and quiet around them but heading for the grove ahead with a touch more urgency. The little ones wouldn’t spot them there, and until older siblings of Judy’s were sent out in an hour or two to round up stragglers for dinner, no one would go looking around the trees for them. Their peace could continue there, their company alone all that was needed for such a perfect day, that perfect way to leave their daily hassles behind and just be glad for the moment they had.

Fall on the farm was rarely so tranquil, but in the rare times that it settled like this, Judy was glad that it was a place that she could come back to, and in the same Nick could see why so many shunned the city, in favor of a more earthen life. Though Zootopia had its parks and bordering wildlands, there was nowhere in its vicinity that could match such serenity. Certainly, nowhere else where a fox and rabbit could simply sit by each other’s sides and smile so carefree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, sweet, and simple...what else need we have nearing the end of 2020?


	10. "Zinktober" Day 4: Ice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fits somewhere within the Closed Doors universe...

Cold, and white.

She could hear the jokes coming through the headset any moment now, once Nick figured it out (and it surely wouldn’t take long). But it’s not like she could choose where their leads took them, and in this case the shores of a frozen lake in Canada was the location. In some ways it wasn’t surprising; the perp was a snowshoe hare after all, and the arms had been funneling in from out of the country for months. But still, being out here trying to spot clues as to his escape hide location was anything but fun even for a mammal like her, and she’d been hoping the hare would be sensible like most other mammals and choose a warmer locale to hole up in.

“So what’s it like being in your ancestral home for a mission anyway?”

And there it was. Skye’s brows creased as she tried to ignore the irritation and keep quiet (anything more than a whisper would bounce across the ice like a rubber ball, and with a hare’s hearing that was the last thing she needed; talking was only possible when the wind picked up).

Luckily, relief was heard when the other fox yowled on the other end of the connection, and Judy’s voice replaced his. “Excuse his stupidity,” she drawled. “I’m sure it’s not fun even for an Arctic fox.”

A breeze rose up, whipping through Skye’s long fur and giving her an opportunity to respond. “Glad I didn’t have to ask you to punch him,” she said. “And yeah, it’s cold up here. You two would freeze in a heartbeat. No signs yet, so I’ll have to get back to you.”

“Copy.”

And it was back skating across the ice. Her color was the one thing letting her move in the open like this, blending with the gentle snow falling or being blown about so that she could scout for clues more rapidly. Ironic that bad weather was when she was actually the most effective sleuth too; she’d always been one for sunny days. But that was neither here nor there; she was out here now, and she had a hare to hunt.

Unfortunately the entrance to a hare hole especially in falling snow was a small thing to spot alongside a lake that covered a couple hundred acres. Her eyes were keen, but chances were it would be skipped over unless the entrance opened or she could find recent tracks to follow to it. Having been out here already for nearly an hour, she was starting to hope that perhaps Jack would be the one with the luck. Her partner was scanning the surrounding forest with a drone squadron, looking for anything unnaturally built up or, as Skye was, any tracks that weren’t hers leading to an unassuming spot in the snow, and using a prototype sonar system installed to try and probe any potential cavities underground. He had a lot more space to meticulously cover though, so it was anyone’s guess who’d actually be likely to succeed first.

As the wind picked up again Skye considered radioing back in to the Zootopian pair helping manage the other end of the smuggling track, before a flurry of movement caught the corner of her eye. She turned her skates to skid to a stop and twisted around, spotting a slight puff of snow being spat from the shore about a hundred feet away. Quickly she dropped down low, flattening into the thin snow layer on the lake’s surface and doing her best to look like a drift while keeping her eyes pinned to the spot the snow had been kicked up from. No sooner had she done so than a small head with calculating black and brown eyes popped seemingly right out of the ground, two narrow ears perking up as the hare started scanning his surroundings. Just in time the breeze turned to a stiff wind blowing right into Skye’s face, concealing her and making sure she could smell her target, but not him her. The hare was apparently satisfied with the state of things and slowly climbed out, hauling a small pack over his shoulder before turning around and shoveling the snow he’d just moved away back over his hide entrance. Then with another glance around, he started skirting between the trees as he headed into the forest, likely heading for his next hideaway.

“I’ve spotted the smuggler,” Skye whispered into her headset, getting into a crouch and starting to move toward the shore. “Jack, he’s on the southeast end of the lake moving in the same direction into the forest; I’m going to mark where his hide was and pursue. Copy?”

“Copy that. I’ll redirect the drones and let the ground crew know. Don’t lose him.”

Skye grinned as she reached the shore, digging out the hare’s entrance and planting a large branch upright next to it. “Don’t worry, I won’t,” she said, before taking off her skates, hanging them on the hook on her pack, and sprinting into the trees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something fun from the perspective of one of our favorite agents...though not too fun thanks to the weather.


	11. "Zinktober" Day 5: Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've set this one to occur sometime in the interim after Closed Doors, but before Foundation's Fire.

Nick was never what one would call a “pluviophile.” As a kit rainy days meant being stuck indoors most of the time, and for a portion of his teens and most of his adulthood downpours meant that the rundown box of an “apartment” he used to have would leak from about seven places at once (really fun considering it was located at the edge of the Rainforest District where precipitation, real or manufactured, occurred far more frequently).

And, of course, there was that other detail about canids and what happened when their fur got wet. No surprise then that over time the sight of gray clouds brought to the fox what it did to many: a dour attitude and disappointment that any activities, planned or spontaneous, for the day would be brought to a halt if they had anything to do with being outside. Even the chipper attitude of Judy (who thanks to her more down-to-earth upbringing had a far greater appreciation of that water from the sky) couldn’t quite scrub away Nick’s gloomy demeanor when she was around on those days, so storms often resulted in the pair just staying in on their days off or sitting in their patrol car, quiet, brooding, and in their own worlds.

Today was one of those days where staying in wasn’t an option, as it was time for training at the Caniston’s house (much as training could be done in Judy’s condition, at least, though Nick was still fit for sparring), but everyone present was definitely picking up on Nick’s attitude when darker clouds than normal rolled in and droplets began pounding away at the house.

“Well, this is a first,” Embron muttered, standing aside with Judy as they watched Scarlet take on the fox. He was slipping up more than usual, piquing the coyote’s curiosity and frustrating the ocelot. “He usually get distracted during bad weather? Extenuating circumstances out in the jungle, but I haven’t seen him like this here before.”

Judy nodded with a sigh, rubbing one arm and letting her ears drop. “Afraid so,” she said. She watched as Nick came in for a swing at Scarlet, but his movements were slowed and so his fist was easily caught, followed by the tod being flipped to the mat. “Culmination of a number of unpleasant things related to it through his life, from what he’s managed to grudgingly tell me. Kind of sad I think, rain’s a beautiful thing a lot of the time.”

Embron nodded, his eyes and ears remaining locked on Nick for a few more seconds, before he pushed away from the wall they were leaning (or sitting, in Judy’s case) by and clapped his hands together. “Hold up Scarlet,” he called, making sure the spar was brought to a halt before he walked into it. “New training exercise we’re going to try out today. Nick, follow me.”

Nick’s ears came up a bit more as he looked after the now retreating coyote in confusion. “Uh, what kind of exercise? Wait, where are you going?”

“I said follow me, didn’t I?”

His ears dropped down again, and he blew out a heavy sigh as he trudged after Embron. Unlike some other days they were using one of the rooms on the ground floor to spar, so it wasn’t a long walk before Nick realized that Embron was heading for the front door. He ground to a halt and grimaced. “Are you nuts? You want us going outside somewhere in this crap?”

Embron slowed to a halt too, his shoulders dropping with his ears momentarily before they perked up and he turned around, eyes hard. “Probably, and yes,” he replied bluntly, “but my being crazy doesn’t factor into this. Before it’s been clear that under real fighting situations you’re most likely going to not care about what the weather is doing, but watching you today I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave that to chance. And you’re clearly not appreciating the weather as you should be, so we’re going to try doing a little about that. Leave any sensitive electronics or paper materials you might have on you inside.”

He didn’t wait for a reply, instead popping the door open and walking out, leaving Nick with an open-mouthed incredulous glare standing behind him. After a few moments of the fox not following, Embron stopped again out on the sidewalk and turned around, looking completely unfazed by the water that had already soaked his fur through (and making him look even thinner than usual). And he waited. When it was clear that he wasn’t going to budge, and rather started to look like he might walk back in and drag the fox out, Nick groaned in relent and pulled out his cell phone to lay on the small table by the door before walking outside. Immediately he felt worse, as the rain wet him down in seconds and left him dripping and a little on the cold, very uncomfortable side.

Embron turned around again and started walking, Nick grumbling along behind. They headed out of the Caniston’s yard proper and down into the jungle a ways, before popping out at another clearing that overlooked the Rainforest District below more clearly. Embron stopped there and waited for Nick to walk up alongside him, but didn’t look at the other canid, rather keeping his gaze out across the city and the cloak of gray and swirling clouds over it.

“Attitude is an essential thing no matter the situation,” the coyote stated after a minute, jerking Nick out of his spiral into an even more unpleasant mood. “And in addition to learning how to not let your environment dictate yours –something I know you should be familiar with considering your former con days, and believe me it’s something I still have to practice regularly- learning how to appreciate every condition of the natural environment helps when you’re dealing with situations all over the place, all year round.”

“So you’re saying you want me to just start seeing this wet mess as something good for me no matter how much of a hassle it becomes for me?” Nick quipped, before wincing as Embron’s ear flicked, and a fair portion of the rain coming down in front of them changed direction and splattered the fox directly in the face.

“Part of the problem is that you make it into being a hassle,” Embron said as Nick sputtered and spat. “Yes, just as anything can be rain can become a problem, but more so it is when someone makes it so. We fight the natural elements in order to try and go about each day as we want to order it, rather than go with the flow, and that often leads to mammals like you, hating it when it’s not sunny and clear out and making it difficult to focus or enjoy anything else that could be going on.

“Rather,” Embron continued, finally turning toward Nick and holding one of his palms out, facing up to gather the falling water, “learn to see what the weather can do for you. Forget that you might smell a little after this, big whoop; you smell after sparring every time because you’ve worked up a sweat, no worse than this, and you’re getting a natural shower to boot. Don’t let old memories and feelings bubble up when it gets cloudy out, but replace them with a clear, empty slate. To start with the exercise, tell me: what do you smell right now?”

Nick quirked an eyebrow, before huffing and taking a deep scent of the area. Beyond some of the wet dirt and leaves right nearby, the rain had washed out just about all of the scents in the air. “Not a whole lot,” he responded.

Embron nodded and smiled slightly. “But what do you smell?”

“Mud, wet leaves…the rain. And…something smells a little like mint somewhere.”

“So when it rains, it takes away odors. Close your eyes now, and tell me, what do you hear?”

Nick did so, standing to listen for a bit. “…Just the rain, maybe a bit of distant traffic.”

“So now we can use that. Keep your eyes closed, let the rain feel like you’re taking a cold shower at home after a hot day on the job, and you need some time just to think there. Use the fact that you can’t hear or smell anything else to just clear your mind, and calm it. Think about what the rain will lead to: that fresh smell from a forest or field afterward, renewed plants and cleaned messes, a cool and slightly humid time where the sun will feel perfect. Take it as a meditation, rather than an activity-ender. And just…be, for a bit.”

Nick wanted to spout something back, but decided better to follow Embron’s instructions lest the coyote smack him in the face with more water again. He kept his eyes closed, let his ears drop as there wasn’t much beyond the steady droning patter of drops all around, and just took in deep breath after deep breath.

At first, there wasn’t much change. But as he started to actually let his mind clear and let go of the prejudiced conceptions he’d had before, Nick found that it was starting to feel like the stress of the day was bleeding off. If he relaxed, the rain didn’t feel unpleasantly chilly; it felt cool, yes, but cleansing. Knowing he had someone watching nearby if anything went awry helped him calm further too, his mind wandering to some of the images Embron had suggested.

Bunnyburrow was always an enjoyable place to visit; the morning after a long night of rain often did feel the best even if he’d been grumpy all night before. Things looked brighter then, glistening, the air smelled scrubbed. And the kits of course were always happy to go rushing out the door to play in the puddles that had been left behind, giving him something to chuckle at. A good, rainy year meant a good blueberry harvest, he remembered Judy mentioning once somewhere, since the plants tended to like it wet. Blueberries were always a good thing, so why not try to be happy about what made them healthy?

Eventually Nick realized that he had been standing out in the rain with his eyes closed for several minutes, and he cracked them open for a moment to glance over at Embron. The coyote had closed his eyes too, and had his head tilted up slightly so that the droplets were running straight into his face and down his neck. As touchy as he was about his coat Nick was surprised he’d walked outside with it on, but as he looked on for a moment he realized, no reason Embron needed to worry; he wasn’t wearing anything that getting wet would cause damage, and once back inside they’d dry off relatively easy. Nick’s own clothes were a little more soaked in, but he too would dry out (especially in front of a warm fur dryer). It was something else pleasant to look forward to too, just as if coming out of a long shower. And as long as the week before had been, and as he’d been expecting to spend this whole day in more painful training measures, he realized it was actually rather nice to just take some time and stand around, doing and thinking about nothing in particular. So, he followed Embron’s lead again and closed his eyes, letting his ears fall back again and tilting his nose up slightly while he listened to the flat, even drone of the rain coming down and felt it patter over him.

Maybe he wouldn’t be content with it every time when it stormed outside, but perhaps Nick could work a little more at appreciating when it did. And surely Judy would be happy about having a more pleased fox around while it rained too; right now, she might even appreciate both of them just sitting down and listening for a while, relaxing while nature cleaned and restored things outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not every rainy day is a pleasant one, but they can be more often than not if you want to make them so. I'm personally not one for snow, but if I sit down and look at the good it can bring it still manages to also be something beautiful. 
> 
> By the way: I'm still in a spot where art and writing isn't easy, especially as there's lots of stuff popping up that I have to pay for and that requires focusing on other things, but if you'd like to potentially see more creativity and help me carve out some time: I have started up a Patreon page! It's a dual-purpose support page, as helping to keep my actual growing business running more smoothly helps to keep times more open for art and tales, but there will be benefits there for folks who really want to just stick around for the creative stuff too (like more regular looks into stuff that's in-progress and the ability to vote on what pieces might be made next). So if you're interested and willing to help out a guy, go check in on www.patreon.com/hcarlton  
> And until next time: HawkTooth out!


	12. "Zinktober" Day 7: Rodent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fit in somewhere vaguely within the Closed Doors Au.

Everyone has their limitations, and random topics or environments that will set them off.

For Nick, one example was anyone insulting his partner’s integrity; Embron, ignoring information no matter how trivial in favor of “it’s always been this way.” Skye couldn’t stand the concept of anyone without mechanical experience trying to lend a hand to fix any sort of machine, Jack couldn’t work with mammals who didn’t keep any sort of schedule, Scarlet avoided topics one might label “normal” or “mundane” wherever she could in conversation, and folks of same said personality (or, perhaps more accurately, they avoided her; it worked out either way).

For Judy, as was found out one day during a diversity festival, it was being dressed up as or compared to the rodent family.

Nick thought it would be amusing, and since she’d always been so forward about being part of the activities in other events of the past didn’t expect this to be any different. There was a parade of mammals taking on parts of costumes to dress up as other species that they admired or thought needed more respect, and one group that seemed to be a bit underrepresented in the fox’s mind were the mice. A handful of costume pieces for that group were around, but as it turned out none were quite the right fit for a mammal his size. So instead, he grabbed a couple pieces meant for someone just a little smaller, and went to go find his partner.

Judy was busy watching the festival for any troublesome activities (despite being pointedly reminded earlier that they were off-duty and supposed to be enjoying themselves that day), so Nick found no trouble sneaking up behind her and snapping the tail strap around her waist. Judy squealed and jumped, ear pinging high as she whirled around to find her grinning mate behind her, something still hidden in his paws.

“Nick, what did you-!” she started to exclaim, ears falling in annoyance, and Nick took his second chance while they were down, plopping the headband accessory on her cranium and then stepping back to admire his work. Judy, for her part, looked at him in growing irritation and confusion, before actually stopping to turn and look first at what he’d strapped to her middle. Behind her, a long pinkish cloth “tail” hung down, what it was trying to mimic obvious, and that brought a quick conclusion as to what was on her head too.

“Nick,” Judy started slowly, arms folding as her real ears stayed fallen, “did you just put mouse ears on me?”

Nick grinned. “And they fit you perfectly! I noticed there wasn’t a whole lot of rodent representation out there right now, so”-

“I’m not going out there with this on, you can forget it.” The rabbit reached up to take the ears off.

“W-wait!” Nick exclaimed, holding out his paws. “Don’t take it off, what’s the problem? You’re always gung-ho about participating usually anyway!”

Judy paused, before her arms dropped and she fixed him with a glare. “Do you know how much confusion I already get from folks about being some sort of rodent?” she asked accusingly. “It’s really frustrating! We’re entirely different groups and we each actively avoid mimicking the other in celebrations like this for specifically that reason! It’s hard enough convincing a wolf that pikas and voles aren’t second cousins or that rabbits and cavies aren’t on the same family branch!”

Nick’s ears fell, but he tried to keep a smile on as Judy crossed her arms and turned away from him in disappointment. “Is it really that bad for one day though?” he asked. “Especially for such an underrepresented group out there? You make a great mouse, the resemblance is almost uncanny.”

“I’m a _lagomorph_ , Nick…I’m not going to join in dressed as a mouse!”

“Aww, come on! It’s adorable!”

She turned back toward him, a warning glint entering her stare. “Then you wear it if it’s so great!”

Nick shrugged. “I’m too big! I tried finding something that fit me, but”-

“Then let me help you fit into it!”

“No, wait, Carrots!!”

It was shortly after that the fox found out two things: one, trying to push the topic when it came to lagomorphs and rodents was unwise with Judy. Two, turns out his waist could be squeezed thin enough for that little strap-on tail to fit around him, and his ears bent flat enough for the headband to be clamped on top. He made a half-decent mouse too, especially when his dignity shrank that far in the process of getting the costume put on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, not so sweet, and a taste of a side of Judy we don't actually see often: her getting negatively riled up about something. 
> 
> And on a more personal note, still seeking out help, by the way; my Patreon account as of right now is woefully devoid of supporters, and I could really use a few to help support the art and educational pieces I do, and some assistance with scraping together the funds to cover some medical bills for one of my dear pets (a couple others passed away recently due to some sort of disease that one brought in that wasn't caught in time, and I want to make sure this one does not hit the same fate but medications and vet visits cost a pretty penny). So if you've got a couple extra bucks a month somewhere, please come join me at www.patreon.com/hcarlton   
> Thanks, and until next time: HawkTooth out!


End file.
